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NDA – PBF VEHICLE IS A PODA-PODA
The National Democratic Alliance is a party that shouts a lot about maintaining good standards in public life and we respect them for that. But how come they find it really difficult to stick to their own high standards. On Thursday last week, that PBF vehicle given to the NDA and other parties to support their work was turned into a PODA-PODA on a journey between Makeni and Freetown.
The NDA Driver stopped at the park in Makeni and picked up passengers for Freetown, charging SEVENTEEN THOUSAND LEONES. Come on NDA, how can you behave like that? The driver even had heated argument with a passenger who wanted to pay FIFTEEN THOUSAND Leones because he was dropping off at Masiaka.
Don’t tell us they were party militants coming to Freetown for a meeting. Politico was represented on that vehicle and we paid SEVENTEEN THOUSAND LEONES, CLEAN. We witnessed other passengers paying too.
The Vehicle, apart from it being used for the wrong purpose, was clearly overloaded as the driver continuously picked up passengers on the way like any DANFO DRIVER.
We could have said that this was the work of some unscrupulous driver but the fact that a very, very senior party officer was in that vehicle, tells a different story.
The NDA is that last party that should do this kind of thing. You can’t climb the moral tower on radio all the time and mess up so badly the next minute. The UN is certainly not amused by this and so are we. We reserve the right to expose that NDA big man at any time.
BOB MARLEY’S NIGHT OF SHAME
For residents in several parts of Freetown, May this year, was January 6 1999 all over again. Actual rebels, with unusually long and shinny machetes and other offensive weapons and also high on marijuana unleashed themselves on the peaceful people of Brookfields, Saint John and other areas. They stole money, mobile phones and other valuables from passersby. Ordinary people were wounded including a soldier who had his hands slashed in the process of being robbed.
Was this a real Bob Marley night or what? Bob Marley was a peaceful guy who reconciled two feuding Jamaican Prime Ministers in the interest of his nation. Bob Marley went to Zimbabwe at that nation’s independence to rally them behind the cause of the liberation and nationhood. How come his name is been dragged into naked thieving and armed robbery in Sierra Leone, so far away from Jamaica.
We have asked Jamaicans about this so-called yearly observance of Bob Marley’s death and they have always asked us what the whole thing in Sierra Leone is about. We know that Bob Marley night in Sierra Leone is all about free for all marijuana smoking all over the place. This could have been a day of quiet reflection on the life and works of Bob Marley but O yah!
Bob Marley says “Jah will never give power to the ballheads” because they will “come crucify the dread.” Do you now see why most people don’t treat our young people seriously? They take a day out to celebrate the death of a Prophet and end up becoming common criminals.
We are now waiting for those vote-seeking politicians and money-seeking NGO’s who will try and explain away this criminal behaviour or begin to argue about holding dialogue sessions to stop this criminality. Law and order must prevail. We are watching.
WHO IS IN CHARGE AT THE CID, PLEASE?
Every time we pass by the CID building, we feel proud, seeing it from outside because we remember the BODE OSE they used to have in the days of the almighty Bambay Kamara and even as late as ten years ago.
However we were very surprised when we went inside the compound recently – at the FAMILY SUPPORT UNIT to be precise only to discover that the rot is creeping in once more.
We spent about one hour at the FSU place and in that time, the pungent smell of raw faeces and urine attacked our noses – gosh. Is Alfred Karrow - Kamara really in charge at the CID? Is he telling us he has never experienced this?
As you will expect, we enquired and one of the officers told us the water pressure inside the building is so low that they don’t get water into the building to flush the toilets. The only way out for the men and women of the CID is spray the backyard. So how do people you keep in your cells relieve themselves Mr. Karrow Kamara? If you don’t have water and you can’t get SORIE GUMA to fill your tank daily, then close the CID. We will not allow Karrow Kamara to mess up this building.
SHOOTING THE MESSENGER
Somebody should tell Elvis Gbanabom Hallowell, never to try to shoot the messenger. We brought the people news about the goings-on in their so-called Public Service Broadcaster – clear case of corruption mentioned in a KPMG report and the next minute, Gbanabom issues a press release attempting to kill the messenger named Politico.
Come on Gbanabom, we did not commission the report; we did not take part in the data collection and compilation. We only received the final report (which you call a draft) and after reading it through, we thought it was good for our people to know about it.
For your own take on the report, we called you and you invited us to your office and told us we should “drop the story because it was an old report.” Do you remember that meeting? We also spoke to the chairman of the Board of Trustees, the POLITICALLY CHARGED Festus Minah. We reflected your views very well in the story. Is that the sin for which the messenger must die sir?
What were you and your Chairman doing commenting on “a draft report”? We are no fools Elvis. We did not come into this business to attack people unnecessarily. And don’t even think we will be distracted from our mission to shed light in dark places.
Watch out again Elvis, we have also just received a copy of the report done by Elizabeth Smith, formerly of the CBA. That report was commissioned by the UNDP and it looked at the professional capability or the lack of it, of the management and staff of SLBC to deliver the corporation’s public service mandate. It makes interesting conclusions.
We shall bring that to our people when we are ready to do so. Start preparing another blunt press release that will again break all the basic rules of writing a good press release.
CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE – NO WATER, NO LIGHT, NO FUEL
We suppose Campaign for Good Governance had their fingers on the pulse of the nation when they issued a press release crying “No water, No light, No fuel”. IB Kargbo was busy telling the nation again that there was no fuel shortage in the country, even when the queues were getting longer and longer with every hour. We understand the desire to shield the government from any blame for such things so close to an election. But IB should please stop treating the people like children. We listen to him in the morning – no shortage, we go to five petrol stations twenty minutes later – no fuel.
As for the electricity and water, we are convinced now that removing the bearded Professor was a big mistake. The new minister was doing well in his advisory job at State House. We don’t know if the president really takes his advisers seriously. Since Oluniyi came to office, a good chunk of the city has been thrown into perpetual darkness and drought.
Homes and small businesses in particularly have suffered badly – overheads have increased astronomically. Are we going to attract serious investors to this condition? It’s one thing to go to ROXY building and spend five minutes registering a business; it’s another thing to actually get the business going with the huge cost of office space and general running cost.
Campaign for Good Governance is speaking out but the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce is sitting in a corner doing nothing. They are perhaps waiting for another round of Iranian exhibition and sale of cheap carpets and household furniture. They prefer serving as board members on all parastatals. How can they raise the concerns of ordinary people? Una lef we yah.
SOS VILLAGE BO – MARRAIDE DAE YAR? MARRAIDE DAE!
The long-serving National Director of SOS children’s villages in Sierra Leone, Olatunji Woode is probably still on honeymoon after finally taking a wife...congratulations sir. We are however very concerned that because of your wedding, you asked all teachers in Bo to come to Freetown to be part of the lavish affair. As a consequence, there was no school in Bo for two days. Mr. Woode, we cannot believe you did this.
This was a clear case of Hastings – drink – Waterloo – Drunk. You are having a wedding, therefore an unofficial holiday is declared in the SOS school in Bo. How is your wedding the business of the kids in your care sir?
If the board cannot do it soon, somebody will liberate the SOS project in Sierra Leone from your dictatorial and idiosyncratic rule.
